Assignment on Evaluating Health Literature

Running Head: EVALUATING HEALTH LITERATURE 1
Evaluating Health Literature
Name
Institution

EVALUATING HEALTH LITERATURE 2
Question 1
Obesity has been an issue that raises issues due to the number of people it affects around the
world. Children are in the most danger because they do not understand details about their diet
which determines the weight of an individual and hence their health in general (WHO, 2017).
The website portrays that children are overeating of unhealthy foods which leads to the buildup
of weight around vital organs like the heart. It is therefore essential as a parent to watch the feed
that young ones eat on a daily basis to prevent them from future health complications (Birch et
al., 2011).
One of the products that contribute to the addition of unnecessary weight is sugar found in foods
like cakes, biscuits, sugary yogurts and cereals, sweets and soft drinks. Children drink and eat a
lot of junk foods due to their sweet nature without realizing that the sugar in these products
might be excess. Too much sugar for a kid or any other individual might lead to some types of
cancer, diabetes type 2 and severe heart diseases (WHO. (2017). The danger of getting used to
sugary foods is that it might follow one into adulthood which even threatens their health as the
conditions become more complicated. The source, therefore, provides an alternative to replacing
these sugary meals with fresh fruits and juices with no additional sugar to ensure healthy meals.
Saturated fats are also contained in many foods that children take on their daily basis including
cakes, butter cheese, biscuits, pizza, and sausages. These foods lead to the buildup of excess fat
on the body which is a threat to the health of individuals. These foods make up a significant part
of the daily human diet which puts everyone at a risk of building up excess fats (Heaton, 2009).
It is, therefore, safer to switch up the saturated fats and replace them with the healthier options

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like avocado, fish, unsalted nuts and seeds (Ogden, 2012). The natural fats from fruits and nuts
are easily digested and help with metabolism which is essential in maintaining a healthy weight.
Finally, most people take in vast amounts of salt without even realizing, as the foods might not
even taste like it. Children’s intake of salt should be contained by reducing their consumption of
foods like crisps, bacon, sausages, pizza, soy sauce, brown sauce and many others. Salt is a
dangerous ingredient if taken in excess as might cause heart problems and other diseases that
might put the lives of the children in danger. These can be replaced by insisting on homemade
foods and reducing the amounts of salt added to food (Tessmer, Hagen & Beecher, 2013). Diet is
the most significant contributor to obesity, and since children are not aware of these factors, then
they might end up gaining unnecessary weight that endangers their lives. If parents can make
sure that they trim down the amounts of added sugar, saturated fats and salt in their children
diets, then that will be a decisive move towards healthy living (Ogden, 2012).
References
Birch, L. L., Burns, A. C., Parker, L., Institute of Medicine (U.S.)., & Institute of Medicine
(U.S.). (2011). Early childhood obesity prevention policies. Washington, D.C: National
Academies Press.
Heaton-Harris, N. (2009). Combating child obesity. Brighton [England: Emerald Publishing.
Hennecy, C. S. (2014). BeLEAVEing: Safely Leaving Abusive Relationships. Cork: BookBaby.
Yufit, R. I., & Lester, D. (2005). Assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicidal behavior.
Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley.

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Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2012). Prevalence of obesity and
trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Jama, 307(5), 483-
490.
Tessmer, K. A., Hagen, M., & Beecher, M. (2013). Conquering childhood obesity for dummies.
Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons.
World Health Organization (WHO. (2017). Obesity and Overweight factsheet from the WHO.
Health.
Question 2
The web resource talks about matters of drug abuse and how an individual can redeem
themselves from the dangerous impacts of the activity. The source’s main aim is to educate the
audience and give them a chance to change their situation by talking to a specialist. Substance
abuse can be severe if an individual does not have the right strategies for dealing with their
situation. Most victims of drugs end up suffering for the longest time and in the most painful
ways because they do not get the help they need to recover (Faggiano et al., 2010). A person
suffering from drug abuse effects is usually vulnerable, and they require assistance to get over
the situation. The situation gets even worse when they blame themselves for their suffering as it
torments the mind which is inappropriate for recovery. The website can, therefore, enable one
attain knowledge to get better or even help other people like their friends and family members.
Through a close reading of the information available on the site, it is clear that drugs are an
enemy to the progress of health in many individuals. It is therefore essential to discover all the
details required to make the changes in a person’s life when it comes to the issue of drugs and

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substance abuse. When dealing with the aspect, it is good to remember that many other people
have been through the same experience. However, one should never feel the pressure to take
alcohol or smoke excessively because others are doing it. Peer pressure can be blamed for the
most cases of abuse especially for the youths who might fall into temptation because of the age
group they belong (Manzoni, Lotar, & Ricijaš, 2011). Most young people end up getting stuck in
drugs and substance abuse because they want to fit in their different age groups. The advice is
that one should be a person of their morality and choose friends who respect their decisions. It is
possible to have a team whereby one individual is a regular user of drugs, and another one does
not take anything addictive at all. Individuals are the drivers of their own lives and the source
help one understand that they ought to be strong in their morality to avoid getting into evil
companies.
The details here also help individuals take care of their friends who might be addicted to drugs
and are finding it hard to overcome. Instead of waiting for someone to experience the damage
and losses that come along with drug abuse, the best way is to help them overcome temptations
(Publishing, 2010). In extreme cases whereby individuals are unable to control themselves, then
you can keep them occupied with other beneficial activities to keep their thoughts away from
alcohol and other dangerous products (Monti, 2012). It is not easy helping others stay away from
drugs as people feel different about the issue, and the best way is to give them appropriate
reasons as to why they should transform their behaviors (Brake, 2013). Products like Xanax,
usually taken by young people can be of significant physical and emotional damage especially
when mixed with alcohol. Observations made from people who have used the product shows that
they experience withdrawals and to worse extents of breathing and heart problems which could
lead to death.

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References
Link to Website: www.talktofrank.com/
Brake, M. (2013). The Sociology of Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures (Routledge Revivals):
Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll?. Routledge.
Faggiano, F., Vigna-Taglianti, F., Burkhart, G., Bohrn, K., Cuomo, L., Gregori, D., ... & van der
Kreeft, P. (2010). The effectiveness of a school-based substance abuse prevention program: 18-
month follow-up of the EU-Dap cluster randomized controlled trial. Drug and alcohol
dependence, 108(1), 56-64.
Publishing, I. (2010). Living with Peer Pressure and Bullying. New York: Infobase Pub.
Monti, P. (2012). Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse: Reaching Teens through Brief
Interventions. New York: Guilford Publications.
Question 3
The website is an excellent source for advising young people on the nature of relationships they
should develop when it comes to sex and love matters. Most teenagers are suffering from abusive
and oppressive interactions which not only hurt them physically but also mentally and
emotionally (Paludi, 2011). The good thing about this article is that it addresses all the aspects of
establishing relationships among teenagers and the types of impacts the activity might have on
them. There is also information on how individuals should handle their life relations to ensure
that they are safe and comfortable.

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The topic about sex raises a lot of questions especially regarding the right time to engage in it
and how a person should approach the action. Well, the website states that timing should be a
personal choice and not pressure from friends or partners because the outcome might not be that
pleasing. While deciding on engaging in sex for the first time, the best factors to consider is a
readiness and the kind of impacts that it might have on one’s emotional being after it happens.
Most youths end up regretting their first encounter in sexual relations as they are not proud of the
moment since it was not their decision (Austrian, 2008). Sex is not an issue that one should
allow others to decide for them as it will affect their physical and emotional being. It is therefore
advisable to get a partner who will respect one’s decision and compromise with the situation.
When it comes to love and sex relationships, it is crucial to exercise patience as it gives
individuals time to make their choices with no pressure which most of the times results in good
outcomes (Currie et.al, 2009).
The website also looks at the issue of abuse in relationships which also affects many people.
Most of the times, violence occurs in such a way that the victims do not see the need of talking
about it as they find the situation normal. Grooming and abuse come hand in hand in a love
relationship making it hard for the suffering party to talk about it (Hennecy, 2014). Grooming
can be defined as the situation in which a person gains love and trust from their partner to use it
as a way of mistreating them. It is therefore essential to ensure that people talk about their
situation and get help (Taft et al., 2007). Young people are usually facing grooming and
mistreatment from older people who might alter their view about particular situations in life.
On the aspect of safety in relationships, it is crucial for teenagers to ensure they secure their
online interactions. Sharing of personal details with strangers on social media like telephone
number, location, emails, and others might be dangerous (Obee, 2012). Stalkers use online

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platforms to distract people’s peace, and for teenagers, it might destroy their self-esteem. The
younger generation should also avoid the cases of engaging in sexual relationships while under
the influence of drugs as it might adversely change their lives since they might do things they
regret in the future. Excessive drinking opens up the room for lust and temptations which can be
associated with all the negative results encounters.
References
Link to source: https://getit.org.uk/
Austrian, S. G. (2008). Developmental theories through the life cycle. New York: Columbia
University Press.
Currie, C., Zanotti, C., Morgan, A., Currie, D., de Looze, M., Roberts, C.& Barnekow, V.
(2009). Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health Behaviour in
School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the, 2010, 271.
Paludi, M. A. (2011). The psychology of teen violence and victimization. Santa Barbara, Calif:
Praeger.
Obee, J. (2012). Social networking: The ultimate teen guide.
Taft, C. T., Resick, P. A., Panuzio, J., Vogt, D. S., & Mechanic, M. B. (2007). Coping among
victims of relationship abuse: A longitudinal examination. Violence and victims, 22(4), 408.
Question 4

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The website focuses on the charity activities by Samaritan, whose main aim is to encourage
people within the UK in sharing their experiences and allow the institution to help before
situations get worse. There are many issues that individuals privately face in the society, and
they suffer alone because they cannot confidently talk about them. Families and friendships are
complicated to the extents that a person might be facing difficulties and unable to share them
because of fear of critics (Drum et.al, 2009). That is where Samaritan comes in to encourage free
sharing without any judgment and get help before the damage is done.
The source addresses an important issue of suicide which has increased amongst all the age
groups in the UK population. Unlike other problems that might only be experienced by the
youths, death is a universal factor which even makes it a general question (Yufit & Lester, 2005).
Samaritan has done research showing that most people from all edges of life including age
difference and social status might end up committing suicide based on their experiences
(Joireman & Duell, 2007). Love and marriage problems are considered to be contributing factors
towards ending one’s own life. These cases have reduced over the years, but it does not make it
any better as individuals are still losing their lives out for the same reason. Suicide is usually a
personal choice, but it is influenced by factors that can be contained before getting out a hand
and leading to this depressing act (Eisenberg et.al, 2007). The main aim of the organization is to
help people before they end up damaging their lives and hurting their loved ones.
Samaritan organization has done amazing projects including working with Scotmid co-operative
family in a fundraising. The primary aim of this project is to reach up to £300,000 which can be
used to address problems in the society before they get complicated. They want to ensure that the
different individuals facing personal issues in the society can get support from their programs
either through their campaigns or on social media as well. The charity organizations are all

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aimed at ensuring that people in the UK feel confident when presenting their social issues.
Instead of addressing for the cure of the problems facing individuals, it is better to prevent their
occurrences by listening to people’s grievances early enough (Wuthnow, 2012). Through this
site, the audience can get the links to communicate to the Samaritan personnel in presenting their
issues and ensure that they get help while there is still time.
References
Link to Website: https://www.samaritans.org/
Drum, D. J., Brownson, C., Burton Denmark, A., & Smith, S. E. (2009). New data on the nature
of suicidal crises in college students: Shifting the paradigm. Professional Psychology: Research
and Practice, 40(3), 213.
Eisenberg, D., Gollust, S. E., Golberstein, E., & Hefner, J. L. (2007). Prevalence and correlates
of depression, anxiety, and suicidality among university students. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 534-542.
Joireman, J., & Duell, B. (2007). Self-transcendent values moderate the impact of mortality
salience on support for charities. Personality and Individual Differences, 43(4), 779-789.
Manzoni, M. L., Lotar, M., & Ricijaš, N. (2011). Peer Pressure in Adolescence. Lap Lambert
Academic Publ.
Wuthnow, R. (2012). Acts of compassion: Caring for others and helping ourselves. Princeton
University Press.

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